3 Easy Ways to Turn Clients Into Raving Fans

Whether you own a small brick-and-mortar store or an online business, you will likely have some type of competition. There is a good chance that some – if not most – of your competition will come from bigger businesses that have more financial resources for marketing at their fingertips, especially if you’re just starting out. Although it may seem like your competition has the advantage, it doesn’t have to be that way. There are a number of different ways that you go about “wowing” each and every one of your clients that comes to you, to the point where they will be a returning customer, and more importantly, a raving fan.

1. Make the buying experience as simple and pleasant as possible. When it comes to “wowing” your customers, the “wowing” process isn’t actually as hard as you may believe it to be. For instance, the first step is to make sure that your store is pleasing and easy to navigate. In physical shops, that means making sure that your customers can push a shopping cart down each of your aisles, without running into merchandise or boxes on the floor. You will also want to make sure that your store shelves are organized in a nice, professional matter. If you have a home-based or online business, that means ensuring that your website is fully functional, with all links pointing to the right place, so that customers can quickly and easily get where they need to go. The last thing that consumers want to do is shop at a store, physical or virtual, that leaves them frustrated and unable to find what they need. You want your customers to enter your store and say “wow.”
2. Kill ‘em with kindness. Another way that you can go about “wowing” your costumers is by just being nice to them. Yep, it really is as simple as it sounds. In today’s society, where everyone is in a rush to get things done, and where we’re often consumed with thoughts of our own priorities, we often forget to be kind and polite to others. The best way to “wow” your customers is to follow the old saying: kill them with kindness. For brick-and-mortar storefronts, you will want to make sure that your employees greet your customers as soon as they walk into the door, ask them if they need any help finding anything, and thank for them for their business after being checked out. If you run an online business, smile just before answering your business phone; clients and prospects will hear the smile in your voice and know that you’re happy to hear from them. Just being kind and compassionate to your customers is a great way to “wow” them and bring them back for more kindness, especially since that kindness is now missing from many of your big-time competitors.  Go a step further and call them up once in a while just to see how they’re doing.  Even if they’re not available for a quick chat, the gesture alone will ‘wow’ them.
3. Give them extra incentives to shop…on the house. Another simple way that you can go about “wowing” your customers is by offering them free discounts or savings. You may want to think about making coupons that can be handed out to all of your customers, preferably those who end up spending a certain amount of money, like fifty dollars or more. Or maybe run a “Client Appreciation Month” where you give all current customers $25 off that month’s invoice, just for being a loyal customer. Of course, money-saving coupons are used by many shoppers, but most of the time you have to go searching for them, as most retailers don’t hand them out free of charge, preferring instead to hoard them or only use them to entice new customers to buy. Gifting your loyal customers with money-saving coupons is a great way to give your business a good public perception and also greatly enhance your chances of long-term customers.  I’m part of a group-coaching program that meets every 60 days.  Each time we show up we receive a gift card that can be used toward other programs or VIP days.  This is one of those ‘unannounced’ bonuses and everyone loves them.

The above-mentioned approaches are just a few of the many that you can consider when looking to “wow” your customers. When it comes down to it, the best way to “wow” your customers is to look at your business from the prospective of a customer. If you were to walk into your store or visit your website as a potential customer, what would you want it to be like and how would you like to be treated? Then be sure that you’re doing unto others as you would have them do unto you.